Modern WisdomBest Wearables, Travel Hacks & Training Tips - Life Hacks 206 | Modern Wisdom Podcast 398
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 0:32
Travel power hack: one adapter + suitcase multi-socket
Chris shares a travel setup for powering multiple devices abroad: pack a single converter plug plus a long multi-socket extension that stays in his suitcase. Jonny and Yusef question the safety and potential overload/earthing issues, joking about what happens if he plugs in his whole podcast kit.
- •Use one converter plug paired with an 8-gang multi-socket to power many devices
- •Concerns about safety, fuses, and earthing differences (UK vs US plugs)
- •Discussion of what Chris needs to power for travel podcasting (lights, interface, camera power)
- •Humorous warnings about burning down an Airbnb if overloaded
- 0:32 – 5:09
Chris heads to Austin: breaking the monotony and meeting the “Austin crowd”
Chris explains he’s flying to Austin for a few weeks to disrupt an overly repetitive routine built during the pandemic. They riff on Texas stereotypes, then Chris name-drops friends and potential guests, hoping for more in-person connections and novelty in training and life.
- •Motivation: reset routine after 18 months of monotony
- •Austin as a hub: proximity to creators and podcast guests
- •Plans: training at Atomic Athlete, possible hunting trip, in-person podcast episodes
- •Expectations about productivity and serendipity when changing environment
- 5:09 – 10:53
Escaping task-list life: routines, Parkinson’s Law, and productivity in a new scene
The trio reflect on how easy it is to live life as an endless to-do list, especially with few external events. Chris notes that having scheduled commitments compresses work time and reduces procrastination, while Austin’s social and professional density may restore balance.
- •There’s more to life than completing tasks—routine can become a trap
- •Changing environment increases focus and breaks inertia
- •Parkinson’s Law: work expands when you have ‘nothing on’
- •Value of being a ‘small fish in a big pond’ to raise standards
- 10:53 – 14:54
Strength tracking upgrade: Rep1 bar velocity tracker (and “post-RPE RPE”)
Jonny recommends a Rep1 bar velocity tracker for serious lifters to quantify bar speed and predict performance. They discuss cost, app quality, and using velocity as a proxy for RPE, plus why objective measurement can beat subjective feel.
- •Rep1 device measures bar path/speed and predicts daily performance
- •Useful for tracking progress when adding weight slows over time
- •Jonny uses velocity to infer RPE (despite coach’s objections)
- •Cost-benefit framing: better ROI than many fitness gadgets/supplements
- 14:54 – 18:21
Preserving family memories: bulk photo digitization and the shock of data density
Yusef shares how his family digitized thousands of old printed photos via a scanning service, turning boxes of albums into a single USB archive. The conversation expands into mind-bending stats about how much data is created and stored daily.
- •Using a scanning company to digitize ~9,000 photos efficiently
- •Practical benefits: space saving, backup, easy sharing
- •Awe at tech compression: huge memories in a tiny drive
- •Discussion of internet data volume and physical analogies
- 18:21 – 20:35
Online shopping shortcut: ASOS sizing strategy with free returns and delivery thresholds
Chris explains a tactic for ordering multiple sizes at once to cross free-delivery thresholds and avoid iterative shipping. Jonny recounts an AI sizing tool failing and how easy returns reduce friction—especially if something feels ‘almost’ right.
- •Order multiple sizes in one go to secure free next-day delivery
- •Free returns + long return window make sizing experimentation efficient
- •AI size recommendations can be unreliable
- •Rule of thumb: if it’s ‘a bit off,’ return it rather than tolerate it
- 20:35 – 23:41
Subscription sanity: pay monthly to force re-evaluation (and reminders before renewals)
Jonny argues for monthly billing on apps/services to avoid forgotten annual renewals and ensure you’re still using what you pay for. Yusef adds a reminder-system approach (e.g., TickTick) to review subscriptions before renewal dates.
- •Monthly billing creates recurring prompts to cancel unused services
- •Annual renewals can surprise you with large charges
- •Exceptions: services you’re sure you’ll keep long-term
- •Use task reminders before renewal to prevent auto-renew traps
- 23:41 – 26:56
Bathroom automation (and toilet chaos): cistern pucks, Squatty Potty talk, and ‘level two’ jokes
Yusef recommends toilet cistern cleaning tablets that keep the bowl cleaner with minimal effort. The segment devolves into comedic bathroom mechanics, including Squatty Potty benefits and absurd “cistern sabotage” hypotheticals.
- •Cistern pucks/tablets reduce limescale buildup with low effort
- •They last weeks and ‘maintain’ cleanliness automatically
- •Bonus: reminders about Squatty Potty mechanics and comfort
- •Extended comedic riffing on toilets and hygiene routines
- 26:56 – 33:09
Shopping while hungry: buy a front-of-store sandwich to avoid junk purchases
Chris shares a simple tactic: if you’re hungry (especially while fasting), grab a sandwich immediately upon entering the supermarket. The quick satiety prevents impulsive high-calorie snack buying and saves money and willpower.
- •Hunger leads to worse grocery decisions and impulse buys
- •Use a small, protein-containing sandwich to ‘take the edge off’
- •Breaking a fast early may be better than buying lots of junk
- •They rank supermarkets and joke about Jonny’s sandwich standards
- 33:09 – 35:48
Low-calorie dessert surprise: Percy Pig ice cream macros and sweet-food debates
Jonny plugs Percy Pig-themed ice cream as a surprisingly low-calorie alternative comparable to Halo Top. Chris disputes the taste of an earlier version and they compare to other low-calorie ice creams like Ben & Jerry’s Moophoria.
- •Percy Pig ice cream: lower-calorie than expected (~600 per tub)
- •Tradeoff: not high-protein, but still good for cravings
- •Taste varies by version; Chris disliked an older formula
- •Discussion of favorite ‘diet’ ice creams and sweet strategies
- 35:48 – 39:26
Apple Notes OCR: Live Text, scan-from-Mac continuity, and capturing paper fast
Yusef explains iOS Live Text (OCR) for copying text from images and scanning pages directly into Notes. They explore practical use cases like book highlights, handwriting conversion, and Apple’s continuity features that trigger the phone camera from the Mac.
- •System-wide OCR lets you select/copy text from photos
- •Scan text directly into Apple Notes using the camera insertion tool
- •Mac-to-iPhone ‘scan document’ continuity automates document capture
- •Use cases: highlights, receipts, handwritten notes (with mixed success)
- 39:26 – 44:08
Negotiation move: ask ‘What’s the budget?’ (and the controversial ‘plus VAT’ joke)
Chris offers a freelancer pricing tactic: avoid naming your price first and instead ask for the client’s budget range. They joke about adding ‘plus VAT’ after an instant yes, then discuss anchoring, acceptable minimums, and avoiding undercharging.
- •Best first question: ‘What’s the budget?’ to find the pricing universe
- •Clients often reveal a number slightly below their true maximum
- •Avoid undercharging and the regret of instant acceptance
- •Humorous (but dubious) ‘plus VAT’ add-on and negotiation ethics debate
- 44:08 – 51:13
Control overwhelm: clear your capture inbox daily (OmniFocus/GTD trust)
Jonny argues that the most reliable productivity lever is keeping the task ‘inbox’ at zero so nothing festers. They discuss doing quick items immediately, sorting the rest into projects/dates, and how an untrusted system forces you to hold tasks in your head.
- •Daily inbox-to-zero prevents task rot and missed commitments
- •Two-minute rule: do small items while processing inbox
- •Sorting builds trust in the system and reduces mental load
- •Tension with ‘eat the biggest frog’—resolved via good reviews
- 51:13 – 59:09
Home and outreach upgrades: robot vacuum, video intros, summary emails, and sending cars
This chapter stacks multiple practical hacks: Yusef reviews a budget robot vacuum (with caveats), Chris recommends video DM intros to stand out, and Yusef suggests follow-up ‘as discussed’ emails after calls. Chris closes with a persuasion trick: offering to ‘send a car’ to remove friction for guests.
- •Robot vacuum (Coredy): scheduling, obstacle issues, emptying frequency
- •Video introduction messages can cut through crowded inboxes
- •Send a post-call summary email to create written confirmation
- •‘I’ll send a car’ as a high-leverage nudge to secure attendance/guests
- 59:09 – 1:28:03
Wearables and quantified sports: golf sensors, athlete GPS pods, and why no one has nailed it yet
Jonny shares a time-limited deal on Arccos golf club trackers for Ping owners, leading into a broader discussion on sports tracking. They compare pro-team GPS load monitoring with consumer wearables, debating Apple Watch limitations, Whoop’s model, and the coming wave of glucose tracking.
- •Arccos/Ping promo: free club sensors that log shot distances and patterns
- •How tracking infers performance using GPS position changes and club detection
- •Pro sports use GPS pods for speed, load, cutting forces, injury prevention
- •Wearables critique: battery life, notifications, incomplete feature sets; glucose tracking as next frontier
- 1:28:03 – 1:39:45
What to watch: Invasion, A Quiet Place, Kin, and intense documentaries
They wrap with viewing recommendations across Apple TV, films, and series, plus a grim cave-diving documentary. The conversation branches into superhero physique inflation, The Boys/Succession mentions, and a brief Elon Musk market-trolling tangent before sign-off.
- •Apple TV’s Invasion: high-production alien-invasion multi-thread story
- •A Quiet Place: sound-triggered creatures premise and sequels
- •Kin: Irish gangster family drama (Gangs of London vibe)
- •Dave Not Coming Back: harrowing real-life cave-diving documentary; plus Elon Musk/Twitter market antics aside
